Diamond Sutra: The Practice of Humility and Patience

The Kshanti Paramita

TERMS:Crotapanna – Entered the streamSakradagamin – One more returnAnagamin – Never to returnArahat – Fully Enlightened

[Lord Buddha]
Supposing a disciple who attained the degree of Crotapanna (entered the stream), could he make any such arbitrary assertion as, “I have entered the stream’?[Subhuti]
No, honored of the worlds! Because while, by that measure of attainment, it means that he has entered the Holy Stream, yet, speaking truly, he has not entered anything, nor has his mind entertained any such arbitrary conception as form, sound, taste, odor, touch and discrimination. It is because of that degree of attainment that he is entitled to be called a Crotapanna.

Darls Notes: What is the Holy stream? I believe it is the threshold of awareness and you can only dip one foot with the other still outside where it was for so long. Which world is real? The one you once stood on or the one that is flowing? You’re attracted to both. You dig your feet deeper into both. And so, you feel divided. When there comes the point you can no longer bear to be divided day any night, wherever you go, you’ll chose. Because we are human, because we must learn, we chose again and again until we know realize in our hearts which one is home. Home is where the truth is. If you chose the world outside the stream, you will end up by the stream again and again. You will suffer divided for as many times as it takes for you to surrender to the Holy stream. And when you chose, when you surrender, the truth swallows you in it’s water. Then you will see, really, you have not entered anything, only the illusion of an old perceiving self has broken off. The old self takes pride. The true self takes constant surrender. But, it is the secret of the wise that surrendering is the greatest joy and because you are awake to receive it as a blessing, the surrender opens you up, frees you to discover deeper in and further out, that you are everything. No degree of separation has value. “Arbitrary conceptions” (taking pride in concepts or identities such as “I am a man/woman who has attained [this]) get in the way of surrender. It is not a secret for the reason that wise people don’t share, but more so because there is nothing to boast about. To say “I have entered the stream” is ironic. You have not entered anything, you have only begun to allow yourself to be. How? You got out of your way. You are the stream.

People today are very quick to dub themselves/others as “woke” and while it’s a beautiful reflection of the values our society is growing into by popularity, it’s a word that has consequences we’re still learning about. How do we identify what those consequences are? “Woke” = accountability. Now knowing that, check yourself again. Are you still woke? Or are you as Marcus Aurelius puts it, “emptily opinionated.” There’s always more room to grow deeper in awareness, truth, and love. If saying you’re “woke” puts you on the other side of a line, separate from those that aren’t “woke,” well are you sure you don’t have more waking up to do?

Be careful in declaring stages of righteousness or enlightenment because the second you do ego is out to steal the progress you just made. Ultimately, accountability necessitates humility and patience, from everybody, but first and especially, from yourself.